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Montana Freemen
The Montana Freemen were an anti-government militia and a group of homegrown terrorists, based outside Jordan, Montana. In 1996, they engaged in an armed standoff with the FBI, which lasted 81 days in total. Background LeRoy Schweitzer, a crop duster working in Montana and Idaho, became increasingly frustrated and resentful at what he perceived as interference in the life of individuals by the U.S. government. In the mid-80's, he turned into an anti-government tax protester and became fascinated by the legal ideology of the Posse Comitatus, attending several meetings of the latter. Later, he moved to Montana, where he refused to get a license to fly his crop duster. Consequently, federal arrest warrants were issued against him. In November 1992, in order to pay LeRoy's $389.000 delinquent tax bill, his plane, home, and other equipment were seized and sold by the IRS. Schweitzer, even more radicalized, met Rodney Owen Skurdal, a racist ex-Marine, anti-government extremist, and member of the Posse Comitatus, who invited LeRoy to move in with him. They were joined, in 1995, by Daniel Petersen, becoming''' the nucleus of what will become the Montana Freemen. In 1994, Skurdal's farm became the group's headquarters, complete with computers, fax machines, laser printers, and satellite dishes. The inhabitants of the farm placed a sign on the edge of the property, reading: "do not enter private land of the sovereign.… the right of personal liberty is one of the fundamental rights guaranteed to every citizen, and any unlawful interference with it may be resisted". '''Ralph Clark, his brother Emmett, and several other members of their family who harbored anti-government and anti-taxation beliefs, later joined the group. Ideology The Freemen's ideology heavily stemmed from the Posse Comitatus and the Christian Patriot movement. They considered every form of organized government illegitimate, and claimed activities routinely assigned to government (e.g. defying foreclosures, issuing arrest warrants) were to be performed by members of the group. They believed white, Christian people had special "Freemen" citizenship status, and were inherently superior to other people. The Freemen exhibited both white supremacist and anti-Semitic beliefs, claiming the U.S. government was ruled by Jews. Fraud Scheme and "Common Law Courts" Schweitzer and others concocted a bank fraud scheme in order to generate money. They filed phony liens against several property owners, the State of Montana, and the U.S. government. Taking advantage of the fact it took some time for bank computers to reveal the liens were actually counterfeited, the Freemen employed the latters to generate money transfers from unsuspecting banks. The Freemen deposited fake money orders at other banks to be drawn upon the bank listing the lien (the orders looked quite official, though sometimes they deliberately spell the words “United States” with a lowercase “u”). The group was known to sold the money orders, advertising them to their fellow citizens as a quick means of getting out of debt with the IRS. They were also known to issue bogus checks. Armed Takeover of Garden County Courthouse TBA "Justus Township" and the Standoff TBA Aftermath TBA Modus Operandi TBA Known Members TBA Known Victims TBA On Criminal Minds *Season Four: **"Minimal Loss" - The Montana Freemen were referenced in the episode. SSA David Rossi claimed he was present during the standoff as an FBI negotiator. References * Wikipedia's article on the Montana Freemen * Montana Freemen - History Commons Category:Stubs Category:Real People Category:Real World Criminals Category:Real Life Terrorists Category:Real Criminal Organizations Category:Real Criminals Referenced in Season Four